1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to pucks for use in the game of hockey, and more particularly to pucks for use on non-ice surfaces such as roads or gym floors.
2. Background Information
Ice hockey, as its name implies, is conventionally played on outdoor ice rinks in northern climes, or on indoor ice rinks in more widespread regions. However, the use of outdoor ice rinks is limited by the change of seasons, and the use of indoor ice rinks may be limited by the expense of ice time. With the recent proliferation of in-line roller skates that may be used on hard, dry surfaces to simulate the performance of ice hockey skates, demand has increased for a hockey puck usable on hard, dry surfaces that more closely simulates the performance of an ice hockey puck. While attempts have been made by others to create such a hockey puck, none have come close enough to simulating the characteristics of weight, durability and slidability exhibited by a true ice hockey puck.
For example, one early attempt to develop what is sometimes called a road hockey puck was essentially a felt slab in the shape of disk, similar to a hockey puck. However, such pucks slide on dry pavement only for very short distances, and the lighter weight and springier material of the puck causes shots taken by the players to have far different characteristics than those taken using a hard rubber ice hockey puck.
To simulate more closely the weight of ice hockey pucks, road hockey pucks were developed having small weights inserted within the puck itself, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,891 issued to Chiarelli on Dec. 5, 1972. These pucks were adequate for use by hockey players who simply wanted to practice their shots, but still failed to emulate on dry surfaces the performance of an ice hockey puck.
To simulate more closely the slidability of ice hockey pucks, road hockey pucks were developed that included small bearings or rollers. One early rendering of this type of puck is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,204 issued to Felber on Jan. 8, 1974. The puck taught in the '204 reference incorporated twelve different rollers, with six located on each face of the puck. The large number of rollers greatly increased the likelihood that a defect--such as a broken roller, dirt lodged in a roller socket, a roller becoming displaced from a socket and lost, etc.--could inhibit the performance of the puck or render it ineffective.
Pucks having rollers that project through both sides of the body of the puck have long been known, an example of which is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,377 issued to Cooper et al. on Feb. 11, 1975. The pucks shown therein, having one roller captured within a pair of spaced, parallel, annular ring members, are of only limited usefulness as they tend to be unstable, wobbling about the portion of the roller in contact with the surface on which it is rolling or sliding.
More recently, two patents have issued that illustrate the current trend in roller hockey pucks. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,769 issued to Dolan on Dec. 27, 1988, and 4,801,144 issued to De Masi, Jr. et al. on Jan. 31, 1989, each show pucks having three rollers captured within and projecting from a hard disk portion. The '769 reference comprises a disk containing three bores into which the rollers are inserted and a pair of retaining plates glued to the disk for holding the rollers in the bores. The process of assembling this puck includes several steps, including precisely positioning the retaining plates relative to the disk to assure proper operation of the puck. Further, should the glue come undone, it is difficult to repair the puck to its original level of performance.
The '144 reference, on the other hand, comprises two half sections, each containing a set of three hemispherical depressions into which the rollers are placed before the halves are fastened. together. The halves are fastened together by screws, which frequently become loose, the heads of which may project from the body of the puck, increasing the risk of injury to the users or damage to the surface on which the puck is being used, especially if the puck is being used on an indoor floor. The '144 reference suggests a diameter of 1.125 inches for the rollers placed within the puck. Given a puck body height of one inch, the amount of roller projecting from the top and bottom of the puck body usually is inadequate for proper puck travel across the surface on which it is being used. Further, the commercial embodiment of this device includes weights inserted into the puck to help it more closely simulate a true ice hockey puck. The addition of weights increases the number of steps needed for assembly of the roller puck, and increases the possibility of defects in workmanship.